[kern417]

they're not replacing the caps or anything??? i can't be the only one that finds this extremely concerning.

[mookie45]

There are not that many 340/440's on the road, and I'm sure a very small percentage of owners visit this forum. For the amount of people on this thread that have had the same issue is alarming.

[insanecoder]

I just checked mine.. both reservoirs at max level.. and I push her every trip

[kern417]

Originally Posted by mookie45

There are not that many 340/440's on the road, and I'm sure a very small percentage of owners visit this forum. For the amount of people on this thread that have had the same issue is alarming.

I agree. even if it's a low percentage, just getting fluid topped off multiple times isn't right. if the car had 200k i could see topping off oil/coolant every once in a while, but not within the warranty period and definitely not without more investigation on what's causing it.

for anyone coming from or familiar with the mk6 gti, they are known for having leaking water pumps. it took 4 years of people going through multiple replacements before vw finally issued a recall. i'm not trying to be overly enthusiastic about the issue but i would hope it's not just being brushed under the table.

[CruzM3]

For those of you really concerned about it, take it to the dealer and have them do a pressure test on the system. It could just be leaking out at the cap or just not completely filled from the factory which I think is more likely.

[Big Nodge]

Personally, if a little coolant evaporation is the most consistently recurring problems on the B58s so far, I take that as a good sign.

[goj]

Originally Posted by Big Nodge

Personally, if a little coolant evaporation is the most consistently recurring problems on the B58s so far, I take that as a good sign.

Yeah but it's trivial to the point where I am like WTF no cars have this issue

[Big Nodge]

Well after poo-pooing the coolant issues they struck me at a pretty annoying time. Started up the car on Saturday morning up in northern NH on the way to a winter driving school, low coolant light comes on. Was in the middle of nowhere but luckily a local gas station had some of that pre-mixed coolant that didn't look too sketchy. I topped it off, no issues, but I'll probably get it flushed, checked for leaks, and replaced with the OEM stuff as others in this thread have suggested.

Bad timing, perhaps I angered the car gods by not taking it seriously. Still not really worried about it, but it is annoying.

[kern417]

good luck. i wouldn't care so much if they were doing more than just topping it off. at a minimum they should be testing and verifying the system.

[mwh2009]

Originally Posted by Big Nodge

Well after poo-pooing the coolant issues they struck me at a pretty annoying time. Started up the car on Saturday morning up in northern NH on the way to a winter driving school, low coolant light comes on. Was in the middle of nowhere but luckily a local gas station had some of that pre-mixed coolant that didn't look too sketchy. I topped it off, no issues, but I'll probably get it flushed, checked for leaks, and replaced with the OEM stuff as others in this thread have suggested.

Bad timing, perhaps I angered the car gods by not taking it seriously. Still not really worried about it, but it is annoying.

Just took mine in for an oil change about two weeks after this incident, and mentioned that they should check it and consider replacing the caps. They poo-pooed my idea, and said that it was normal for BMWs to 'eat a little coolant,' and that there was nothing serious about it. They said they would do a system pressure test and check the levels. Then I bought a container of coolant, which I diluted 50/50 and put in my car. And keeping the other 1/2 of the 50/50 in a container at home just in case.

Side note - on the right edge of the trunk space in the F30, there is a little tray space that fits a small container of coolant (or motor oil I suppose) just perfectly. So that's where I'm keeping it.

_________

New post coming shortly, but immediately after that service visit, and the oil change, my aircon stopped blowing cold air.

So that's 2 problems so far, and 2 more problems than I ever had with any of my Toyota's, Subarus, or Hyundai's during the first 75-100k miles. I know that this comes with the territory to some extent with these cars, but I admit I am getting frustrated already.

[Thisisdudewhoru]

Originally Posted by mwh2009

It's the same coolant - the service guy at BMW topped off both reservoirs from the same jug

So are they actually connected?

[mwh2009]

Originally Posted by Thisisdudewhoru

So are they actually connected?

This is a point of contention. They topped them both off, but another guy said if you drain the big one, both will empty out?

[S.BMW23]

Having this issue today with the temp being 0 outside. Will need to go get bmw coolant

[NYC_340i]

I've had a coolant issue as well. Checked the levels at around 8k miles and the big tank was pretty much dry. The small tank was right at the max level. When I went to service I asked them to check the coolant levels. They called me and said that they found coolant around the intake manifold area. After a pressure test they found a hose that was loose which they tightened with a new clamp and topped up on coolant.

I was just happy it wasn't the turbo leaking coolant like what a lot of others had issues with.

[paul e]

I had this occur about a month ago, 12k ish miles. SA said to add distilled water, as the antifreeze doesn’t evaporate. I then brought it in, pressure tested, NTF. Both reservoirs were low.

What was funny was that the big tank cap,was a huge PITA to get off, I mean tough to unscrew. When I got it back the cap,was very easy to remove, not sure if it was replaced or what, not listed on the invoice.

I just got back from a 2k miles round trip, and it’s time for an oil change, so before I bring it in I’ll check the reservoirs first.

...ok, I just checked them both, the big one was tough to get off again, but when I finally loosened it, there was a burst of air pressure, so the cap/tank unit had some kind of vacuum. Once it came off it was easy to screw back on and remove again....and it was LOW again, just touching the bottom mark. The little one for the turbo was full.

So I’ll pursue this again, shouldn’t be low after a fresh fill with a 2k miles difference.

[Mr Carrots]

I had this pop up last week - i just had it in the dealership 6 weeks ago and they claim they topped off the coolant then.

Took it back on Friday for a quick check and a top off and some bullshit about cold weather and "hard driving" (as if 500 miles in 6 weeks would empty the coolant reservoirs they claim that they had filled up)

Today I start it and the light comes on immediately, this is extremely annoying and it has to go back to what are either idiots (claiming it's normal for a car to magically drink gallons of coolant when the weather gets cold) or liars (didn't actually fill it up last time) at the dealer service center

[XutvJet]

There's a known issue with some B58 turbos burning coolant due to a leak in one of the turbo housing seals. My guess is this will become more of an issue and BMW is currently trying to figure out how widespread a problem this is as it could be one pricey issue to be replacing turbos (again).

[paul e]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

There's a known issue with some B58 turbos burning coolant due to a leak in one of the turbo housing seals. My guess is this will become more of an issue and BMW is currently trying to figure out how widespread a problem this is as it could be one pricey issue to be replacing turbos (again).

Well that may be true, but I’ve asked both in this sub forum and the F30 sub forum about any turbo replacement/recall/SIB/TSB.

Including a guy in France who claims his was replaced due to this issue. Both in the thread AND a PM.

Answers? No...just crickets.

So much for a “known issue”.

[Mr Carrots]

Originally Posted by paul e

Well that may be true, but I’ve asked both in this sub forum and the F30 sub forum about any turbo replacement/recall/SIB/TSB.

Including a guy in France who claims his was replaced due to this issue. Both in the thread AND a PM.

Answers? No...just crickets.

So much for a “known issue”.

SI B11 15 16 for B58 turbos that leak oil

not sure what the coolant leak is

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by paul e

Well that may be true, but I’ve asked both in this sub forum and the F30 sub forum about any turbo replacement/recall/SIB/TSB.

Including a guy in France who claims his was replaced due to this issue. Both in the thread AND a PM.

Answers? No...just crickets.

So much for a “known issue”.

Try the 2 series forum. A few turbos for internal coolant leaks have been replaced over there.

The two expansion tanks are ultimately connected to the coolant system, so it's not odd to see the levels go down in both or one or the other, etc. The coolant is certainly going somewhere. It's normal to have a little bit of water evaporation loss (even on a "sealed" system) and low coolant levels when you first get the car (even my M235 did), but to be adding coolant and decent amount volume at that means something far more significant is happening with the motor. If you're not seeing leaks, then it's getting consumed. My money is on a leak in the turbo housing (known to have happened) and/or some coolant is leaking into or from the coolant-filled intake manifold and being consumed at the intake ports. That too has been reported.

[Araemo]

For what it's worth, the two coolant systems aren't connected enough to be useful. My secondary loop was completely empty due to a leak in the radiator for that loop, but the main loop was still full.

Which was really annoying, because I had no indication that low coolant was the reason for the performance to suck in warm weather, or my AC to stop working. There is apparently only a low coolant sensor in the main loop.

[kern417]

Why are people saying that the 2 cooling systems are connected? There's nothing connecting them.